kava and Carcinoma--Squamous-Cell

Kava is a beverage made from the ground roots of the plant Piper Methysticum and has long-held a significant place within Pacific island communities. Active compounds were extracted from kava, and secondary metabolites include kavalactones, chalcones, cinnamic acid derivatives and flavanones. It is thought that components of kava may exert an antiproliferative effect through cell cycle arrest and promotion of apoptosis.. We conducted a systematic review to summarize available evidence of the anticancer effects of kava components and investigate their potential use for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) treatment. Eligible studies were identified through a comprehensive search of OVID EMBASE, OVID MEDLINE and Web of Science, as at April 2018.. Of 39 papers that met the inclusion criteria, 32 included in vitro models and 13 included animal studies. A total of 26 different cancers were assessed with 32 studies solely assessing epithelial cancers, 6 mesenchymal cancers and 1 study including both. There was only one report assessing an OSCC cell line. Antiproliferative properties were demonstrated in 32 out of 39 papers. The most researched constituent of kava was flavokavain B followed by flavokavain A. Both were associated with increased expression of pro-apoptotic proteins and decreased expression of anti-apoptotic proteins. Further, they were associated with a dose-dependent reduction of angiogenesis.. There was heterogeneity of study models and methods of investigation across the studies identified. Components of kava appear to present an area of interest with chemotherapeutic potential in cancer prevention and treatment, particularly for epithelial neoplasms. To date, there is a paucity of literature of the utility of kava components in the prevention and treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Topics: Animals; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Humans; Kava; Mouth Neoplasms; Plant Extracts; Plant Roots

The burden of non-infectious skin disease in the Indigenous Australian population has not been previously examined. This study considers the published data on the epidemiology and clinical features of a number of non-infectious skin diseases in Indigenous Australians. It also outlines hypotheses for the possible differences in the prevalence of such diseases in this group compared with the general Australian population. There is a paucity of literature on the topic but, from the material available, Indigenous Australians appear to have a reduced prevalence of psoriasis, type 1 hypersensitivity reactions and skin cancer but increased rates of lupus erythematosus, kava dermopathy and vitamin D deficiency when compared to the non-Indigenous Australian population. This article profiles the prevalence and presentation of non-infectious skin diseases in the Indigenous Australian population to synthesise our limited knowledge and highlight deficiencies in our understanding.

Topics: Australia; Carcinoma, Basal Cell; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Eczema; Humans; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Incidence; Kava; Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Melanoma; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Prevalence; Psoriasis; Skin Diseases; Skin Neoplasms